News

In the wake of the terrorist attacks against the United States, the U.S. road racing scene will see the postponement of at least one, and possibly three, of the main events on the calendar for this weekend. According to USA Cycling, the amateur-only Univest Grand Prix in Pennsylvania will be "definitely postponed," with a possible make-up date in early October. Meanwhile, the Pro Cycling Tour’s BMC Grand Prix of Houston is still up in the air, and a decision whether or not to race it will be made in the next few days. The third event scheduled for this weekend on the national calendar was

Dutch triple Olympic gold medalist Leontien Van Moorsel-Zijlaard on Wednesday failed in her attempt to beat Jeannie Longo's world hour record in Manchester, England. The 31-year-old Dutchwoman covered 43.47591km, 1619m less than the veteran Longo managed in Mexico on December 7 last year when she covered 45.095km. Van Moorsel-Zijlaard set off at a cracking pace, covering the first 5km in a healthy 6:33.252 but she then gradually lost steam and was already losing ground by the time she hit the 10km mark. By 15km she was more than 20 seconds adrift and the gap had increased to a minute

USA Cycling announced Wednesdayits team for the 2001 World Track Cycling Championships. Ten athletes willrepresent the United States at the competition, which takes place Sept.26-30 in Antwerp, Belgium. Marty Nothstein (Trexlertown, Pa.), Jeff LaBauve (Frisco, Texas), GarthBlackburn (Houston), Jame Carney (Durango, Colo.), Colby Pearce (Boulder,Colo.) and Mike Tillman (Santa Monica, Calif.) comprise the men’s roster,while Tanya Lindenmuth (Trexlertown, Pa.), Tammy Thomas (Pembroke Pines,Fla.), Jennie Reed (Kirkland, Wash.) and Erin Mirabella (Chula Vista,Calif.) make up the women’s

A day after the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history, officials at the mountain bike world championships have said the event will go on — but not without interruption. Racing at the Vail, Colorado venue was slated to begin Wednesday with the cross-country team relay, but that event was pushed back to Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. local time. The rest of the week’s program will remain intact for now. "There have been no plans for a massive rescheduling," said John Dakin, chief of press for the 2001 world’s. "Initially there was talk of canceling the event — and that still may be a

Evan Call, the managing director of the USCF and USPRO, announced Wednesday that he is leaving his position at the end of the month. In a brief e-mail to media and others in the cycling community, Call said he had, “with great reservation, submitted my resignation to USA Cycling effective October 1, 2001.” “I appreciate the honor and opportunity to serve the sport of cycling. The ride has been unforgettable. I have enjoyed working with you and hope to do so again soon.” Efforts to reach Call by telephone were unsuccessful Wednesday afternoon. USA Cycling chief operating officer Steve

Leipheimer and McRae observe a moment of silence

Crédit Agricole’s Bobby Julich has signed a two-year contract with the Deutsche Telekom squad, a spokesman for the team said Tuesday. Julich, 29, joins fellow American Kevin Livingston on the team of 1997 Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich. As a member of the French Cofidis team, Julich finished third in the 1998 Tour and then went on to join Crédit Agricole in 1999. Julich’s contract two-year deal with Crédit Agricole was not renewed at the end of this season. Deutsche Telekom’s leader Ullrich has finished second three times since -- to Italian Marco Pantani in 1998 and American Lance

One more time -- Zabel wins again

Another Golden day for Millar

McRae's New Colors -- the former Mercury man is riding for Postal in Spain

Hincapie and mayor Willie Brown

Barry, Hincapie and Klasna

The leaders climb Filmore St.

Klasna and Hincapie

This could be the first of many

Millar Time!

This could make up for the Tour prologue.

A strong performance by Leipheimer

Richard G. Bannister — better known to mountain-bike historians as Neil Murdoch, a member of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame — was arrested by a U.S. marshal in New Mexico on Sept. 5 after 28 years on the run from drug-smuggling charges. According to The Denver Post, Bannister was charged in 1973 with sneaking 26 pounds of cocaine into New Mexico. He was freed on $20,000 bond and subsequently vanished. A year later, the man calling himself Murdoch had become renowned for adding knobby tires and low gears to old coaster-brake bikes in Crested Butte, Colorado; in 1976, he would open the first

Vuelta a España: Heras on the line

Bannister as Murdoch -- or was that Murdoch as Bannister?

CSC-Tiscali’s Bo Hamburger has been barred from representing his country in athletic competition for life by the Danish Cycling Union because of allegations of drug use, DCU president Peder Pedersen confirmed Thursday. Pedersen said that 31-year-old Hamburger had been struck off the DCU register despite being cleared of doping by an arbitrary tribunal of the Danish Sports Federation (DIF) here last month. Hamburger, the 1997 world road race championship silver medallist, was declared positive with the French-pioneered urine test for EPO in Belgium on April 19 and was suspended by his

Armstrong headlines S.F. Grand Prix

Armstrong

World U23 champion Evgeni Petrov will ride for Mapei

The Vuelta a España will be Richard Virenque's first major tour since he finished up a 10-month doping ban last month and the Domo-Farm Frites rider knows he has a struggle on his hands. "You won't see the Richard Virenque who rode so well in the Tour de France in recent years, the next three weeks are going to present me with some real highs and lows," he told French sports daily L'Equipe. Virenque won the polka-dot climber's jersey at the Tour de France five times (1994-97 and again in 1999) but picked up a ten-month ban after admitting during a criminal trial last

Mercatone Uno has announced that team manager Giuseppe Martinelli will be sidelined for the Vuelta a España following a dispute with the squad’s troubled superstar Marco Pantani. A statement released by the team on Tuesday announced that assistant director Alessandro Giannelli would fill Martinelli’s role at the Vuelta. "Taking into account the publicly shown incompatibility between team manager Giuseppe Martinelli and Marco Pantani, the board of G.S. Mercatone Uno-Stream TV, with the agreement of the respective parties and in full respect of the professionalism of both parties, has

AutoTrader.com director Mike Neel announced Tuesday that he will be leaving his post with the country’s number two women’s racing team this Thursday and close out the year working with Italy’s Saeco men’s squad and “finishing up the details on a new project for 2002.” Neel told VeloNews that he will take up a new role with Saeco, acting as an assistant director for the team while it competes in the upcoming San Francisco Grand Prix and the 2001 BMC Tour of Houston. Saeco is sending an eight-man team to the U.S. including sprinting ace Mario Cipollini and American Justin Spinelli. Neel, the

Dawn Bourque took gold in the women's 35-39 downhill.

Piemme not ready for golf yet.

Tilford took the men's 40-44 cross-country event in Bromont

Gontchar

The September 3 issue of VeloNews included an editorial supporting one of several propositions that appear on the annual election ballots mailed to voting members of USA Cycling. While the editors of the magazine have expressed support for Proposition A, we welcome comment from those who might hold a different opinion. Les Earnest, the primary author of Proposition B took advantage of our offer to present his views. VeloNews editorial on Propositions A and BBy Les Earnest, co-author of Proposition BThe 9/3/01 issue of VeloNews contains an editorial recommending the adoption of Proposition A

Davide Rebellin, the number-2 ranked rider in the world, has quit the cash-strapped Italian Liquigas team Wednesday and joined Gerolsteiner, the German squad's sports director Rolf Golz said. The 30-year-old has signed a one-year deal and will be joined by three of his Liquigas teammates Gianni Faresin, Daniele Contrini and Ellis Rastelli. "The signing is all organized and we have his (Rebellin) agreement," Golz said. The management of ambitious Gerolsteiner squad hopes the signings will lift it into cycling’s top ranks for the 2002 season. There will be 30 Division I teams in 2002,

Crank up those VCRs. The Saturn Cycling Classic will be hitting the airwaves on Thursday, August 30. If you missed seeing it live, or just want to re-live the suffering caused by a 140-mile-long course that covers 14,000 feet of climbing and twice crests climbs at altitudes over 11,000 feet, ESPN2 will be broadcasting a 30-minute recap of the race at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time. Crédit Agricole’s Jonathan Vaughters – riding for the HandleBar and Grill squad – battled down to the wire with Mercury’s Chris Horner for the first prize, a brand-new, yet-to-be-released Saturn VUE Sport Utility

Spicoli or Kovarik?

Listening to Lance Armstrong, you get the sense that in a not-so-distant past, when Texas Rangers rode horses, he would have been a gunslinger. Not a raw, do-it-for-kicks Billy the Kid, but a character like Paladin, portrayed by Richard Boone, the black-dressed hero of the mythical TV Western, "Have Gun, Will Travel." Like Paladin, the man called Lance is very intelligent, has a veneer of sophistication -- and shoots from the hip. Only Lance uses words, not bullets. At the ripe young age of 29, Armstrong commands the attention of a worldwide audience largely because the Tour de France has

Chann McRae found deliverance in the form of the U.S. Postal Service team from what's been a frustrating few months with Mercury. McRae, who hasn't been paid since June, signed a one-off deal to race with the Posties in the upcoming Vuelta a España, Sept. 8-29. "I finally got a good break after some hard times," McRae said from his home in the mountains outside of Madrid. "I always seem to have good form late in the season, so it works out well for everyone." McRae's surprise addition to the Postal Service team bolsters efforts to defend the Vuelta title for Roberto Heras.

In addition to his Sports Illustrated cover, Armstrong has gotten plenty of press since his third win in Paris. This 'Five Years From Now' spoof appeared in ESPN: The Magazine.

Bettini wins

Ullrich, Bettini and Casagrande (r-l)

Hincapie in the lead group

Dekker

Green won the battle and the war on Sunday.

Hesjedal and Green: Two names to remember come worlds.

Redden celebrates her first World Cup win.

Alexander settled for second.

Minnaar was fastest in qualifying.

Vouilloz on his way to third in the semis.

Minnaar and members of the Global Racing team celebrate his overall title.

Jonnier crosses the line for the win.

Donovan sails to another win.

Lopes would eventually lose to King, but that didn't stop him from taking the overall title.

Minnaar hoists his hardware while a stoic Vouilloz looks on.

The party begins.

A rider makes his way down towards the St. Lawrence river below.

Chausson gets some medical attention.

Chausson's busted brake.

Minnaar's winning run at Kaprun.

His future's so bright he's...

Marsal

Though still very preliminary, the 2002 mountain-bike-racing schedule is beginning to take shape. After several conversations with sources close to NORBA and the World Cup, VeloNews has drawn up a possible picture of what next year’s racing calendar will look like. The biggest wild card appears to be Durango, Colorado, which hosted a World Cup "triple" this summer. Initially organizers in the small tourist town seemed enthusiastic about a repeat visit in 2002. But since then things appear to have shifted, and now there are indications that Durango will pass on holding another World Cup

Minnaar

Deldycke out in front in the finals.

Bootes and Gracia get a little air-time.

Chausson and Llanes fight for second, while Donovan fights gravity.

Jackie Simes II, 1936 national road champion and U.S. Bicycling Hall of Famer, died August 10 at age 87 of heart failure following a series of strokes. He died in a hospital near his home in New Tripoli, Pennsylvania. A second-generation racer, Simes inspired his son, Jack Simes III, to compete in a career that spanned three Olympics and a silver medal in the pursuit at the 1968 world championships, and grandsons, Ryan Simes Oelkers and Jack Simes IV to make the Simes family span more than a century of racing. Referred to by friends as Jackie, he was born John Weston Simes II on January

Jackie Simes II, with Joe Murray at the 1999 induction in to the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame.

Tour de France prologue winner Christophe Moreau on Monday joined his old Festina teammate Florent Brard and inked a two-year contract with France's Crédit Agricole squad. Australian Stuart O'Grady and American Jonathan Vaughters had earlier extended their contracts with the team. The 30-year-old Moreau, who has rebounded from serving a six months drug suspension for his part in the 1998 Festina drugs scandal to win this year's Tour prologue. He had finished fourth overall in 2000. O'Grady, who barely missed winning the Tour de France's green jersey for points this

Missy Giove, U.S. downhill champion again, is not afraid.

Who? Learn the name: Todd Leduc, national champion

O'Bee, Jansen, Bouchard-Hall

The new national champion

Freedman topped the podium

Larkin and Sharp escaped on glassy roads

Zabel pleases the home crowd.

Dekker still leads the World Cup race.